


Oh Whiskey, Please

by youvebeenlivingfictional



Category: Ocean's (Movies)
Genre: A classic will-they-won't-they-even-though-we-all-know-they-will, Angst angst angst angst, F/F, Past Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-10
Updated: 2018-12-21
Packaged: 2019-06-08 00:50:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 12,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15231747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/youvebeenlivingfictional/pseuds/youvebeenlivingfictional
Summary: Knowing Debbie Ocean has always been a gamble, but knowing Lou Miller? Just when I thought they were both in my past, they reared their gorgeous faces into my present.Title is from a song by WhisselNot beta readRating may change





	1. Chapter 1

The bar was busier than usual, but I wasn’t complaining. It was easier to lose yourself in a sea of bodies when there were more of them pressing against you, singing, laughing, dancing.

And it wasn’t even her bar. I knew that. At least, I was sure of it.

I nearly threw up when I saw Debbie. I wasn’t sure if it was because I was shocked, or because I knew if she was there, then Lou couldn’t be far behind.

The fringe suited her so well it was maddening. I saw her out of the corner of my eye on the way to the bathroom, just enough of a flash that I could convince myself that it wasn’t her.

And then she was there, across the bar, jaw working as she chewed her gum, eyes set on me and somehow making me more solid. I lowered my eyes back to my drink, jaw clenched as I tried to put her out of my mind. Maybe it wasn’t her, just someone that looked a bit like her, and someone else that looked a bit like Debbie.

And god I wished it had been people that just looked a bit like both.

Through the night I lost myself in my friends, in our fun, only to be found again caught in the crosshairs of their gazes. It was disconcerting, how easily their looks brought me back to myself.

Debbie’s was always calculated, eyeing for weak spots; I wasn’t offended, knew it was her habit, but Lou’s—

Lou’s felt dangerous. Less of an appraisal and more of an admiration.

I lost track of them on my way to a bathroom break, and nearly had a heart attack when I stepped out of a stall and found them both there.

“Shit,” I hissed, nearly stumbling back into the door. They shared a look, a familiarity I hated them for and had always felt I’d be on the outside of. I stepped forward, determined now, and nudged them out of the way of the sink, washing my hands quickly. Lou was in front of the door by the time I looked up again, Debbie in my periphery. I pulled a few paper towels out of the holder with more force than necessary, drying my hands and looking down at them as I did.

“The fuck do you guys want.”

“Missed you, too,” Debbie quipped.

“You did not,” I shot back. She smiled.

“Heard you gave a lovely eulogy.”

“Well, one of us had to. You were a little busy.” Her smile twisted into something just on the wrong side of bitter, eyes lowering to the floor.

“Busy planning,” she countered. I huffed out a laugh, tossing the clump of soggy paper towels into the trash.

“Whatever it is, I’m not interested,” I said, turning to make for the door— which Lou was still in front of.

I always hated the effect she had on me. Those ice-blue eyes, the easy smirk that twisted her mouth; her head tipped to the side, watching me like she used to; the angle stretched her neck a bit, and my eyes slid down it, over the long clean line of it, the line that I used to mark up—

I pushed the thoughts back and met her eyes with an ease I hadn’t felt before.

“Move.”

Her brows lifted at that, eyes darting over to Debby.

“What, you need her permission? Didn’t realize you’d been downgraded to bodyguard.” Time and distance had made me bold.

I didn’t think either of them liked that.

Lou stepped aside and I brushed past her, not thinking about the whisper of her jacket sleeve against mine, or the scent of her perfume as I did.

 

“This isn’t the time or the place—“

“Then give me a time and place and I’ll show then,” Debbie countered. I pushed a sigh through my nose, arms folding across my chest. She laid the plan out easy, the amount of money rolling off her tongue, a number I couldn’t fathom, but believed.

“You know a hundred people that could pull this off, why are you asking me.”

“Because out of those hundred, you’re who I want.” She paused.

“She misses you, you know.”

“Don’t do that,” I snapped, unable to help myself. Debbie held her hands up in mock contrition.

“I’m just saying, I was away for five years and she seemed more excited to see you.”

I didn’t answer that, I didn’t answer Debbie’s, “think about it and call me.”

But the next day found me at the doorstep of an old theater, and Lou looking down at me.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone on the team has their own specialty, their part to play. Mine just may be a little more... Unconventional than theirs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was surprised by the response to this, but thank you guys so much!! Kudos and comments mean so much, since I'm still kind of unsure about writing in this world.

It didn’t occur to me until far too late why Debbie had really chosen me.

Tammy had the presence of mind to shield her shock only a few seconds after she caught sight of me; I could practically hear the ‘click’ of her teeth as her jaw snapped shut. I glanced back at Lou to find her trailing me after she shut the door, hands tucked into the pockets of her pants.   
I seemed to have caught her in the middle of a once-over; her eyes were on my legs and sweeping upward when they snapped to mine. She smiled, almost uncharacteristically sheepish, and I knew that look. She was caught.

It made my heart ache, and rather than shoot an accusation at her, I turned away, striding to the space behind the couch and leaning down beside Tammy. She looked up at me, and I, back at her.

“So, how’s married life?”

“Oh, it’s wonderful.”

“So wonderful that you’re here? Or did you finally get bored of knocking off Walmart.” She pursed her lips, nudging my arm good-naturedly with her shoulder.

“They deserve it. Their labor practices are awful,” she grumbled. I rolled my eyes a little, straightening and heading over to the bar.

  
It was almost odd; everything was where I remembered it, but the people were all was so different.  
Well, almost everyone.

“You know, she waters down the vodka at the bar,” Debbie said matter of factly, coming to my side. I passed my freshly made vodka tonic to her in favor of making myself another one.

“Is that right,” I said, though I already knew it was. And god knows Debbie knew that I knew. But she’d always done this— reacquainted me with facts about Lou, as if to lord over their connection.

“Mm,” she went on, “she uses the three finger method—“

“She sure does,” I said, turning and giving Debbie a sickly sweet smile before turning away, pressing past Lou on my way back to the couch. Not quickly enough, though, that I didn’t catch Lou’s widened eyes and amused smile.

 

* * *

 

“Her digital footprint is so much neater than yours,” Nine Ball shook her head, looking at Debbie over the tops of her sunglasses.

“How,” Debbie scoffed. I shrugged a shoulder.

“Times have changed, Deb. The rules are different.”

“Found ya Finsta, though,” Nine Ball went on and I couldn’t close the laptop fast enough before a few pictures of me in skimpily clad clothing popped up. I glanced back at Lou to find her brows raised. My ears went red. She’d taken a few of them.

“That account is private,” I groused. Nine Ball snorted.

“Not to me.”

 

* * *

  
My blood went cold when the picture of Daphne went up on the screen. I sank back into my seat, slouching, hand coming up to pillow my head. Debbie changed the slide to a picture of Daphne and I together at a fashion show, our heads bent together in conference. Everyone turned to look at me.

“The more eyes we have inside, the better, especially in proximity to our host,” Debbie said, leaning against the lip of the stage. 

“There will be people buzzing around her all night,” I pointed out, picking my head up, “Reporters, celebrities, hangers-on, socialites—“

“And Rose, and you,” Debbie cut me off, switching the slide to another of Daphne and me. The photo was from a party a year ago; my arm was wrapped around Daphne’s waist, my hand on her chin, tipping her head to look at me.

The picture had sparked rumors that she and I were dating, or at least sleeping together, and she had denied them all outright. I hadn’t seen her since that had broken out.

 

* * *

 

“I always thought she was a lesbian,” Constance said on the way out the door. I looked back at her, unable to stop the harshness with which I fixed my glare on her.

“She isn’t a lesbian.”

“Then what is she?”

“...Intense.”

“That’s not an orientation—“

“Can you just focus on what you have to focus on?” I cut Constance off.

She shrugged, looking around.

“How are you getting home?”

“I’ve got my own way. Why, are you offering to fit two on that skateboard?” She turned away, setting her wheels down, but I cleared my throat, stopping her and holding my hand out.

“Phone,” I said flatly. She reached into her own pocket, pressing my iPhone into my hand and muttering,

“Sorry,” before skating away.

I shook my head, looking down at my phone.

“How  _are_  you getting home?”

I turned to look at Lou, who was flicking away a cigarette. She pulled a pack of gum out of her back pocket, unwrapping a piece and popping it into her mouth before offering me the pack. I waved it off.

“I’m gonna order a car.” Lou’s brows lifted, and I rolled my eyes.

“I’ll walk down to the main road, I’m not going to lead anyone to the Bat Cave.” She flicked her bangs out of her eyes, glancing down the road.

“I could give you a ride.”

 

There was something Pavlovian about the rush of excitement and lust that overtook me as I threw my leg over her motorcycle. I took the helmet offered me, snapping it on and pushed the shield down over my eyes. She settled in front of me, and I bit my lip behind my mask, eyeing my knees on either side of her hips.   
She started the bike up, and my hands settled back to the hold on the back of the bike. She hesitated, glancing back at me, and I realized she was waiting for me to take hold of her, instead. I squeezed her hips with my knees, signaling for her to drive.

She revved the bike a couple of times before taking off. My stomach dropped and I leaned forward, wrapping my arms around her middle. I could feel her shoulders shaking with a laugh, and I pinched her side, knowing she’d sped off that way on purpose.

 

“Were they only rumors?”

I should’ve left her downstairs once she dropped me off, I couldn’t help but invite her up, and apparently, she couldn’t help but agree.

We were on my couch, my legs on her lap, her hand on my calf like nothing had changed. I was getting sleepy, almost zoning out as her thumb skimmed over my skin.

I frowned a little, brow furrowing before I put the pieces together. I lowered my eyes to my glass and shook my head.

“Is this going to be a problem?” She asked, more quietly. I shrugged a shoulder, bringing my glass to my lips and draining the whiskey before saying,

“I was about to ask you the same thing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good? Bad? Kinda good, kinda bad?


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Half lies prove to be more dangerous than whole truths.

Lou had long known Debbie when I met her. I used to joke I had managed to meet her on the one day they were apart, and that Debbie was Lou’s girl and I was just the piece on the side.

I learned later that when it came to priorities, Debbie was Lou’s.  
No matter how many times I told myself in the subsequent years that that made sense, that they were best friends, that I couldn’t understand because I’d never been that close to someone, it still stung, a little.  
Maybe a bit more than a little.

“I didn’t expect you to text.”  
  
“And I didn’t expect you to answer... Glad you did, though. It’s nice to hear your voice, Daph.”

I could hear her smiling as we talked, the conversation light.  
I could only imagine her agent was nearby, that woman that had never liked me around, told me to my face that I was bad for Daphne’s image.  
Talking to Daphne again wasn’t like talking to Lou. There was a different level of restraint, the occasional lull, almost a nervous pause.

  
“I wanna see you.”

  
I didn’t even care that I sounded needy. There was quiet on the other end, then some rustling, and a different kind of silence.  
I pulled the phone away from my face, eyeing the ‘call ended’ that popped up on the screen.  
A few minutes later, a text with a place and a time.

\----------------  
“‘Mita, seriously?” I asked as I came in. I could hear Constance’s ‘where that bitch at?’ patter as I came in. Amita didn’t even look up, just shushed me, eyes following one card intently as Constance moved the three around.  
I shook my head, leaning behind Constance.

  
“Really hope you didn’t put money down,” I muttered. Constance stopped shuffling the cards, leaning back and watching Amita glare at the cards, as if she could see right through them.  
She hesitated a couple of times before finally pointing to the one on the left. Constance flipped it over, revealing the ace of Spades before snatching Anita’s five from the table.

  
“I would’ve gotten it if you hadn’t distracted me.”  
“No you wouldn’t have,” I scoffed, over Constance’s,  
“I don’t believe you would.”

  
“Hey.” I looked up at see Debbie and Lou looking up at me from the second level.  
Debbie nodded her head, signaling for me to head outside before she and Lou both made for the stairs. I straightened, looking down to see Constance and Amita looking up at me.  
“You in trouble?” Constance asked. I snorted.  
“Probably.”

“Where were you?” Debbie asked. I tucked my hands in my pocket, turning my back to the wind, my ponytail keeping my hair from becoming an almighty mess.

“I told you guys I’d be here kinda late.”

“Yeah, and we tried to call you and you wouldn’t answer your phone,” Lou spoke up.   
“I didn’t see that you’d called.”  
  
“Eight times?”  
  
“I was preoccupied.”  
  
“With what?” Debbie stepped into my field of vision and I stilled myself from taking a step back like I would’ve.  
  
“If you can’t be honest with us this isn’t going to work—“

“I was with Daphne,” I said over Debbie. They both went quiet then.

“I thought you two didn’t have contact anymore,” Lou was the first to speak up. If I didn’t know any better I’d say her voice sounded a little tight.  
  
“We don’t. Didn’t,” I shook my head, “but if you want me in there, around her? I’m going to have to open that line of communication now. She’ll be suspicious if I just talk to her that night and something goes wrong.”  
Debbie nodded.  
  
“I need you to clue us in next time—“  
  
“Don’t do that,” I snapped.  
  
“Do what?”  
  
“Handle me. This isn’t my first gig, Deb. Rose? She’s the kind you handle. Not me.”  
  
“What do you mean, this isn’t your first gig?” Deb asked. I looked back at Lou, who was very pointedly not looking at either of us.  
I couldn’t help but laugh, the sound cruel to even my ears.  
  
“Looks like you two have some talking to do,” I said before I turned on my heel, heading back inside.

————————-

We were all crowded together, watching as the necklace began to take for on the laptop, leaning like we were beside Rose, watching her make a copy of the necklace.  
Lou was pressed in behind me, her breath hot in my neck as we waited. We let out a collective sigh as the print was completed, leaning back from the computer. Nine Ball made quick work of sending the print to the machine, and within moments it buzzed on. I shook my head, watching as the machine began to replicate the diamonds.

My phone buzzed in my pocket and I pulled it out. Daphne was trying to FaceTime me. I rejected the call quickly before tapping out,  
‘Can’t FT now babe :(‘  
‘But I misssss yooooooooou’  
‘You saw me three hours ago’  
‘Not enough’

I shook my head a little, unable to help the dopey smile on my lips.  
“Everything okay?” With how close Lou’s voice was, there was no way she hadn’t read my texts. I tucked my phone into my pocket, turning to face her, only to find her a few inches from me.  
  
“Everything’s fine,” I insisted, nodding. I bit my lip, looking around.

“Why didn’t you tell her you’d taken me on a job?” The way Lou rolled her eyes reminded me so much of our breakup, of that final argument, and I felt myself physically recoil, stepping back.  
  
“You know what, forget I asked—“  
  
“No, hang on,” her hand caught my wrist and I shook it off, heading for the kitchen. Amita was there, pouring herself a coffee.

 

“Could I steal the coffee from you?” I asked.  
  
“I’ll take some, too,” Nine Ball said from the counter where her hands were flying over her keyboard.

“Rose?” I offered the designer, who was hunched over at the table with safety pins. She waved me off wordlessly.

“Tammy?”

She was passing by, her son on the other end, and smiled, shaking her head before moving on.  
I got two mugs out of the dish drainer, pouring a mug for the each of us. I passed Nine’s to her before hopping onto the counter beside her, warming my hands around my mug.

“Can I ask you something?” Constance asked. I nodded, prompting her to go on.

“How did you meet Daphne Kluger?” I had been dreading the question since I’d seen myself on the screen with her. I steeled myself before I answered.

“We met at a premier party for Never Too Young to Undie.”

“The zombie movie? That shit is awful,” Nine laughed. I nodded, smiling.

“Trust me, I know. Definitely not her best work, but that was where she met Derek Verbez, who directed, and it’s only been uphill from there.”

“... so is that all you’re gonna give us, seriously? You met at a premier party?” I shrugged a shoulder.

“We started to hang out after that, while she was in the state. Called every day when she wasn’t. I figured we were just friends, even if I did like her. And then… And then it wasn’t.”

“Just like that?” Constance asked. I shrugged a shoulder.

“Just like that.”

 

It hadn’t quite been like flipping a switch. The touches, the winks, the smiles, those were all already there. But knowing that the other was acting on them with something less-than-platonic in mind? That had been new, and thrilling. I didn’t tell them that it was after my official breakup with Lou, the one that had actually stuck, and not drifted back into late night conversations and stellar sex. They didn’t need to know— and they were memories I wasn’t ready to rehash.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, sorry about that. My brain hasn’t been working with me which is................ Lame™  
> Let me know what you guys think, any feedback is appreciated!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth'll set you free.   
> But first it'll piss you off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: One very, very sexually explicit sentence.   
> And flashbacks are in /italics/
> 
> Kudos and comments are love!

“You made page six,” Debbie had dropped the paper in front of me, open and folded to a picture of me with my arms around Daniel Craig’s shoulders, and Daphne laughing at the two of us. I ‘hmphed’ pushing my sunglasses farther up the bridge of my nose before I leaned back, raking my hand through my hair. I had gone out with Daphne and her friends nearly four nights in a row, and I wasn’t sure I could take another night.

“Good job,” Debbie added, patting my shoulder. I let out another, slightly higher-pitched ‘hmph’ in thanks. She seemed sincere, at least.

“Hair of the dog?” I glanced back to see Lou holding a Bloody Mary.

“May not be the worst idea, especially since the vodka’s probably about 80% water,” I said, taking it from her.

“Nope. Only the best for you, darling,” She said. I hesitated as she passed behind me.

She’d started doing that again, sprinkling in pet names, touching for a few seconds longer than necessary. Before we’d ever started really dating, I told myself that I knew what those touches meant, that she and I wanted to same things. I had been right, then.

But this, now? I had no idea. I was doing my best to thoroughly convince myself that the touches and pet names were friendly; she did and said the same things with Debbie often enough, anyway. We’d almost been getting along lately, the three of us.

Well, the two of them and me.

————————-

“D’you think she likes me?” Rose asked me later that day as I watched her hem Daphne’s dress.

I thought back to what Daphne had said to me about the fitting, about how Rose had told her she had the only neck in the world that could carry off the Touissant.

_  
“I mean, it was what I’d needed to hear at the moment, yeah, but, come on. ‘The only neck that could carry it off’? What kind of bullshit line is that?”_

_“She has a point,” I smiled, dipping my head and nosing along her jaw. She laughed, squeezing my thigh under the table._

_“Alright, button up, Daniel’s coming back,” She said, nudging me away._

 

“Yeah. Oh yeah. Big fan,” I nodded. The last thing Rose needed was the truth... Or to know that Daphne used called her Rose _Vile_.

“We need you here tonight.” I looked up to see Lou leaning over the back of the couch, looking over at me. I looked over at Rose, to make sure I was the one being spoken to.

“Tonight?” I repeated. “I can’t tonight.”

“What, you’ve got better plans?” Technically.

“I’m going to Jack’s, he invited me over for dinner.”

“Jack who?”

“Bevel.” Recognition flashed over Lou’s features, and she averted her eyes for a moment.

“The designer?” Rose asked, looking up at me.I nodded.

“He's a mutual friend of mine and Daphne’s. I introduced them. He’s actually pretty peeved he’s not dressing her for the gala.”

“Will Daphne be there?” Lou asked, looking back to me.

No.

“Yeah.”

Lou narrowed her eyes at me, but I held steady. I swore I didn’t have a tell, but she always knew when I was lying.

“What do you need me here tonight for, anyway?” I asked.

“We’re going over the plan.”

“We’ve been over the plan eight hundred times.”

“We’ve only been over it seven hundred and ninety-nine times, tonight was going to be special.” I snorted at that, my own smile widening at the sight of Lou’s satisfied smirk.

“Sorry. I’ll talk to Debbie about it if I have to but I’ve got a role to play that night, and I still need to snag an invitation to the gala, remember? Jack's got a plus one, and he doesn't know who he's taking. I'm trying to make that happen.” Lou nodded, straightening.

“Sort that out, I will talk to Debbie,” she said firmly before walking away from us.

————————-

_“She does not like me,” I grumbled._

_“Who? Deb?” Lou asked, reaching out and smoothing my hair back. I turned my head, pressing a kiss to her wrist and earning a sweet smile._

_“Yes, ‘Deb’. She looks at me like I’m... I don’t even know, but it’s not a good look.” Lou rounded me, fixing my collar where it had popped up._

_“If she didn’t like you, she wouldn’t have given the all clear for you to come on this job with me, right?”_

_“I guess.”_

_“She likes you, darling, she’s just... Particular.”_

_“Nice way to say bitchy,” I muttered. I caught sight of Lou’s eyes on me in the mirror and I lowered mine, grimacing._

_“I’m sorry.” She made a small sound in the back of her throat._

_“You two don’t understand one another. The way she operates, the way we live? We have to be careful.” She came around to stand in front of me, cupping my jaw and tipping my head up to look at her._

_“You’ll understand that one day.” She leaned up, kissing my forehead. I tipped my head up to chase her lips as she pulled her head back._

_“No no. We didn’t spend all that time getting your lipstick just right for me to smudge it now.” I pouted, and she laughed, skimming her thumb over my cheekbone._

_“Don’t fret, love. I promise I will mess it up later.”_

————————-

I’d spent the last two hours trying to worm my way into an invitation, but any conversation Jack and I had regarding the gala inevitably led back to Daphne. I didn’t want to talk about her, not to Jack. He was one of my oldest friends, knew me too well.   
  
“So you’re just going to wear a tux? That’s so boring. Why are women held to such a high standard, but the men just get to show up in black tie? It’s bullshit,” I said. Jack shrugged, coming back in from the kitchen with a bottle of wine.

“You never answered me. What is going on with you and Daph?” He asked. Diverted again. I drained my wine glass, holding it out for Jack to refill. He took it from me, watching me expectantly, and I shrugged a shoulder.

“No idea,” I said honestly.

“We’re kind of just... hanging out, I guess?”

“Like hanging-out-hanging-out or sexy hanging out?” I rolled my eyes at phrasing, taking the glass of wine he passed back to me.

“I mean, I guess kinda both?” Jack grinned, dropping onto the couch beside me.

“Explain.” I hesitated, thinking.

“We’ve made out a few times, but clothing has stayed on for the most part. We haven’t gone past second base.”

“Second base? What are you sixteen?” Jack laughed.

“What you want me to say? ‘Oh, you know, I sucked her nipples until she came grinding against my thigh’?”

“That is exactly what I wanted you to say,” Jack deadpanned before adding.

“Wait, did you?” I nodded and his jaw dropped before he snapped it shut again, but not without a mutter of, “wow.”  
  
"I thought you said clothing stayed on."   
  
"I said it was on for the most part."

“Have you guys talked about what this is?” I shook my head.

“We haven’t even tried to. We’re just letting things happen.”

“The last time you just let things happen with someone—“

“Jack.”

“How is Lou, anyway?” My stomach twisted at the question.

“Haven’t heard from her.”

“Is that why you got five texts from her?” My eyes widened. I had left my phone on the table when I went to the bathroom earlier. I slapped Jack’s shoulder.

“Why were you snooping?”

“I was not snooping. I had bent over to top your wine up and the texts came through. The universe wanted me to see what you were doing so I could stop it,” he said.

“Stop it?” I repeated. Jack put his own wine glass down and took mine from my hand to take both of my hands in his.

“Lou really messed you up last time.”

“Don’t—“

“You didn’t leave your bed for a week, and that is not counting the mini-breakups you had with her before that.” I tugged my hands away from his and grabbed my phone from where it still was on the table before reaching for my bag.

“Please don’t do this,” Jack begged as I made for the door.

“Don’t do what?” I snapped, looking back at Jack.

“Don’t be friends with someone?”

“You and I both know you have never stopped loving her,” Jack said. The words spread through me, chilling me like ice in my veins. I yanked the door open, slamming it shut behind myself and making for the elevator.

————————-

“What the hell happened?”

It was probably the fifth time Lou had asked me since I’d gotten there.

I hadn’t even realized I had set my Uber location to the main road near her place. I had left my jacket at Jack’s, and it was an unseasonably cold April night. I had considered getting another car, but with this location, that could take a while, and I was starting to freeze. It was the kind of cold that wormed into your core and chilled you no matter how many layers you had on.

Lou had opened the door when I knocked, had taken in the shivering mess of me, and asked the first of the evening’s 'what the hell happened's. I hadn’t even realized how late it was, but Jack hadn’t started to cook until eight, and we’d started to argue well after we’d finished dinner and dessert.

I shook my head like I had the last four times she’d asked me, cupping my hands around the steaming mug of tea she’d made. Lou pushed a frustrated breath out through her nose.

“I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s wrong,” she said, her hand reaching out to straighten the blanket she’d put around my shoulders as it started the slip.

“Tea helps,” I said quietly. “The blanket? Definitely also helps.”

“That’s surface level shit. I know you and whatever this is isn’t surface level.” My eyes darted up to her cool blue ones, and I opened my mouth to say something before I closed it again, picking the tea up and taking a sip. Lou pushed her chair back with a huff and got up, stepping away to straighten up the kitchen. She always moved to neaten things when she was agitated, always did something with her hands to keep herself busy.

“How was the meeting? Did the eight-hundredth run-through go smoothly?” I asked.

“Would’ve been more smooth if you’d been here,” she said. I pulled the blanket a little closer to myself. It smelled like her, and her body wash, of mint.

“I don’t see how. We still don’t know where I’m gonna be sitting, or if Daphne will want me anywhere near her that night, or—“

“Well if you had been here, Jack wouldn’t have fucked with your head like he clearly did.” Lou snapped. I looked back at her, only to spot her shoulders working furiously as she scrubbed at the counter. 

Jack had never liked Lou the way Debbie had never liked me.

She tossed the sponge in the sink, turning back to look at me and opening her mouth to say something else. She clearly hadn’t expected me to be looking at her. Neither of us spoke for a moment.

“He saw your texts,” I finally said. She pursed her lips, nodding. “And what? He tried to warn you off of me?”

“Yeah, he did.” She’d clearly meant it as a joke, but I was tired of lying.

“Daphne wasn’t even there, was she,” she said. I shook my head. Lou scoffed, muttering, “ _Shit_ ,” as she turned away from me.

I stood, shrugging the blanket off and picking my phone up.

“I gotta get home.”

“Stay here tonight,” she said firmly. I looked back at her, brow furrowing.

“What for?”

“You’ll freeze before you get a cab, just... you don't have to leave.” I was quiet for a moment, watching her move around the kitchen.

“I gotta get home,” I repeated, more firm. Lou clenched her jaw.

“What the hell did he say to you?”

“Nothing I didn’t already know. The truth’s always worse out loud.”

“Let me drive you home.”

“No,” I said, with more force than I meant to. I repeated myself, tone softer this time.

“I can get myself home, Lou.”

“Doesn’t mean you have to.” She drifted closer to me, cupping my chin and tilting my head up to look at her.

“Just stay here, love.”   
  
I swallowed thickly, past the lump in my throat, past everything I had never said to her when we’d broken up, past the curses and frustrations and the ‘miss you’s and ‘hate you’s and 'need you's.

I knew that look, the darting between my lips and eyes. There was a hunger in her gaze that I hadn’t seen in a long time. Her head dipped closer, her grip slacking on my chin as her hand slid down to trail over my neck.

Jack was right. I had never stopped loving Lou, and being in this liminal relationship was going to kill me.

Her lips brushed mine and my head jerked back, like I’d been hit and not kissed. I flinched at the look on her face, managing to stammer a 'thanks' for the tea before I was running away for the second time that evening, entirely lost and colder than before.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So much for not overcomplicating things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Light drug (marijuana) usage in this chapter. Nothing else to warn for sooooo yeah. Happy reading :D

“Girl,” Nine Ball laughed at the sight of me, shaking her head as I took yet another pull from her joint.

“You gotta slow down or you’re gonna be fucked by the time you get to that party.” I passed the joint back.

“S’what I’m hoping for,” I grumbled, hand coming up to push my hair back from my face before turning to look out over the water.

“We don’t need you smacked,” Debbie said, passing me a bottle of water.

“I don’t even know what that means,” I retorted, but I took the water from her.

“Nine, could you give us a minute?”

‘Please don’t,’ I mouthed at Nine, but she was already picking up her laptop and shaking her head.  
  
“Hell nah. You’re in trouble. Not me.” I groaned aloud, leaning back against the bench. Debbie looked after Nine, clearly waiting until she was out of earshot before turning back to me.

“I expected a degree of friction between you and Lou, but this is getting to be a bit too much.”

I couldn't pretend that I didn't know what she meant. Lou and I had been barely speaking, barely looking at one another. That was my fault, and I knew it. I never should've gone to hers in the first place after my fight with Jack. The entire team had noticed it, too, could sense it; even Daphne could tell I'd been off for the last week.

“Then maybe you should’ve found another patsy to get in good with your target. Or found some way to impersonate me and do it yourself. I’m sure you could’ve pulled it off.” Debbie pursed her lips.

“Lou finally told me about taking you on the DeMeer job. Said you were good, a natural.” Debbie looked me over.

“Why didn’t you tell me yourself?”

“She told me you’d okayed me going along.” Debbie hummed.

“Well, she didn’t, and I probably would’ve said no if she’d asked.”

“But?”

“No 'but's. I didn’t trust you back then.” I frowned, my weed-lagged brain taking a moment to catch up.

“That implies that you trust me now.” Debbie nodded.

“I do trust you now. And some... things have clouded my judgment about you in the past. Lou is my oldest friend, I’m protective.”

“You. Protective? I never would’ve gotten that vibe, Debs.” She rolled her eyes.

“Can we be serious for a minute, here?”

“I can try but I’m not guaranteeing anything.”

Debbie smiled a little bit, and I found that I did, too.

“I got a text from my friend Jack,” I said after a moment, “And it looks like I’m gonna need to find a dress.” Debbie’s smile widened, though it was followed by an eye roll when I raised my hand.

“Hey— come on, don’t leave me hanging here.” Debbie gave me what was quite possibly the most reluctant high five that has ever been given in the history of high fives.

“I earned that,” I said smugly, slouching back against the bench.

————————-

He’d viewed the invitation as a ‘Mea Culpa’, texted me to say that the invitation was mine, so that I could spend the evening with Daphne. Sort of.

“That’s so fucking dumb,” Daphne scoffed, “He should’ve just invited you in the first place.” I hummed, avoiding shrugging so I wouldn’t jostle her head.

“What’d you two even fight about, anyway?” She asked. I could feel her turning her head to look up at me. I brought my hand up to smooth her hair back.

“It doesn’t matter, Daph.”

“Matters to me,” I could hear the pout in her voice, as I smiled, unable to help it, turning my head to look down at her.

“It was between me and Jack, alright? Don’t worry about it.” She leaned up, kissing me, and I leaned into it, sliding my hand through her hair.

“Have you worked out who you’re taking yet?” I asked when the kiss broke. She nodded.

“There’s this— he owns a gallery. I met him at the Chairman’s Gala dinner thing. He’s hot, you’d be jealous.” I laughed as I asked,  
“What’s his name?”

“Claude Becker.”

  
My smile stayed froze on my face— I didn’t know what to do, what to say, except, “You’re right, he does sound hot. That is a hot name.” Daphne smiled smugly, settling her head back against my shoulder and turning her attention back to the movie.

Did Lou know? There was no way Lou knew. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, and I was sure that Daphne would notice. I carefully untangled myself, muttering ‘bathroom’ at the questioning look she shot me.  
I got inside the locked the door before I fumbled with my phone, pulling up Lou’s number and hitting the call button. I didn’t think I could text this coherently.

“What’s up?” She asked. She sounded distracted.

“Daphne is taking Claude Becker to the fucking Met Gala,” I whispered.

Some rustling in the other end, a half-barked order from Lou, a, “ _That’s too much, April, I told you, three from the top._ ”  
She was at the bar, of course. She always checked in on Friday nights.  
  
“Lou,” I hissed.  
  
“ _What_?” I was tempted to hang up, but that would lead to Lou calling her back, Daphne potentially seeing Lou's name on my phone, and this whole issue spiraling further.    
  
“Daphne is taking Claude Becker to the Met Gala,” I repeated, slower, eyeing the door. There was a silence at the other end of the line, and I pulled the phone away from my ear, brow furrowing. The call hadn’t disconnected.  
  
“Lou?” I asked, a little more loudly than before.  
  
“You must’ve heard her wrong,” Lou finally said. My brow furrowed, a frown pulling at my lips.  
  
“I didn’t.”  
  
“You must have.”  
  
“But—“  
  
“You heard wrong or she messed up the guy's name, but that isn’t happening.”  
  
“That's what I heard.”  
  
“Then we’ll have to get your ears checked,” Lou said harshly before I heard the three beeps indicating that the call had ended. I pulled the phone away from my face, staring blankly down at the ‘call ended’ that flashed across my screen before it darkened. I set the phone down on the sink.

Maybe this was really part of the plan. Maybe Lou knew about this and had to play dumb. The two told one another everything, didn’t they?  
Well, not everything. I leaned against the sink, taking a moment to gather myself.  
She knew, I decided. She knew what was going on and I wasn’t supposed to know. I straightened, pushing off of the sink and opening the door, heading back to the couch.

————————-

“You know, I really hate it when you’re right,” Lou said, pressing past me and stepping into my apartment. I blinked dumbly for a moment at the empty space where she’d been standing outside my door for a whole ten seconds, trying to memorize the brief, almost hungry look she'd given me before she stepped inside. I turned away, shutting the door behind myself. My Friday night had blended into my Saturday morning, and I'd only gotten in maybe two hours before. It was just gone eight in the morning, and I hadn't bothered to change out of my the skin-tight dress I'd worn out the night before.

“Hello to you, too, Lou. Yes, thank you, I was in the middle of something. Do please come in,” I said sarcastically, following her further inside. I almost slammed into her when I found her at the mouth of my living room, looking around. I stepped to stand at her side and found her frowning.  
  
“It’s changed,” she said.  
  
“Yeah, it’s clean now," I teased. She shook her head.  
  
“You painted.”  
  
“New couch, too.”  
  
“Where’s that—“  
  
“Tapestry? Gone.”  
  
“Why?”  
  
“Because it is.”  
  
“I liked it.”  
  
“Yeah, well, you stopped getting decorating influence when you moved out.” I stepped away from her, making for my kitchen.  
  
“Hungry?” I asked over my shoulder before opening the fridge. I heard a pause, followed by the click of Lou’s boots on the linoleum.  
  
“How did you know about Becker?” I almost hit my head on the fridge as I hurried to straighten and look at her.  
  
“... Daphne told me.”  
  
“Did she tell you how they met?”  
  
“At some dinner for the Gala.” Lou nodded a little bit, walking around to stand beside me at the fridge. She reached in and pulled out a container of leftover Chinese.  
  
“Safe or lethal?” She asked, nodding to it. I leaned forward, give the box a whiff before leaning away.  
  
“Safe,” I replied after a moment of inspection. Lou hummed, hip-checking the fridge door shut before moving over to get a fork.  
  
“Oh, nothing for me, thanks,” I snarked, opening the fridge door. She pulled the drawer open.  
  
“Least you left the forks in the right place.”

“There is no wrong place for a fork.”  
  
“I can think of one or two.” I pointedly kept my head in the fridge for an extra minute, not wanting to give her the satisfaction at seeing me crack a smile at that. I finally leaned away, shutting the fridge door and turning to find Lou perched on my counter, her legs swinging lightly as she picked at the leftover lo mein.  
  
“Nothing for you?” She quipped.  
  
“I don’t want anything,” I shrugged. I nudged her leg aside, opening the drawer and getting a fork of my own before I nudged her legs open again, standing between them and getting myself a forkful of food. I could feel her watching me, and I settled my hand on the counter to steady myself as I chewed.  
  
“I thought you said you didn’t want anything,” she pointed out.  
  
“Not anything in there, you took what I wanted,” I shrugged a shoulder. I looked up at her and found her staring at me. I looked back into the container, stabbing at some noodles.  
  
“So how’d you find out about him?” I asked. Lou huffed, her breath jostling my hair.  
  
“Seating chart Tammy got a snapshot of.” I nodded.  
  
“Sorry,” I said gently, looking up at her. It was her turn to stare into the noodles.  
  
“I just don’t understand why she has to do this.”  
  
“She’s angry at him.”  
  
“I know she is. Fuck, I am, too, but this is going to fuck up our plan.”  
  
“Debbie wouldn’t have done this if she hadn’t already factored him in.” Lou raised a brow.  
  
"Since when do you have faith in her?"  
  
"We've come to a sort of understanding. Don't push it, it's fragile." Lou shook her head, leaning back against the cabinets.  
  
“This can’t be good for her.”  
  
“Sometimes we don’t do things that are going to be good _for_ us, we do them because they _feel_ good.” Lou was quiet for a moment before she set the container on the counter. She tossed her fork into the sink, took mine from me and threw it after hers.  
  
“What are you doing?” I asked as I felt her knees tighten around my hips. She cupped my chin, keeping her eyes on mine. Her head dipped toward me.  
  
“I’m doing what makes me feel good,” She murmured.  
  
This time, I didn't pull away.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything seems to be running smoothly... But nothing lasts forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter’s a little on the short side, but the next will be longer, I promise!

“It’s good that we got that out of our system.” I regretted the words as soon as they were out of my mouth, but they were ones that needed saying. Lou rolled onto her side; I could feel her watching me as I got out of bed.

“Is that all it was?” I couldn’t make out her opinion from her tone. I shrugged a shoulder, opening my drawer and tugging an old t-shirt out. I pulled it on, tugging my hair out of the collar.

“Wasn’t it?” I countered. “Just something to make you feel good.”

“Did it make you feel good?”

“We’re not talking about me.”

“I’m trying to, actually. You’re the one deflecting.”

* * *

 

I kept my back resolutely to her, crossing to the small vanity in the corner of my room and grabbing a makeup wipe. I leaned over, beginning to smear off the remnants of the previous night’s eye makeup.

I heard Lou’s light footfalls and glanced up in the mirror to see her coming closer. I was careful not to let my eyes linger on her body, or on her eyes. Either way I’d want to drag her back to bed.

“Tables have turned, then. You used to want to talk everything through.” 

“We both have more important things to worry about in the next two days,” I pointed out, straightening up. Lou’s hands skimmed my hips, settling them there as she began to press tender kisses to my shoulder.

“I want,” she murmured between kisses, “to discuss this... when we’re free and clear.” I nodded a bit.

“And I also want... to take you back to bed... right now,” she added tugging at my earlobe with her teeth. I giggled, unable to help it as I twisted out of her grip.

“Get out of here, Miller. And don’t be too mad at Debbie. We’re going to be fine.” She grumbled, turning away, and I left her to dress.

She gave me one long, toe-curling kiss and a wink on her way out of the apartment, and I fell back into bed to get some proper sleep.   
  
————————-

  
“Pink’s your color,” I sighed, swiping through the pictures of Daphne in her dress.   
  
“All colors are my color,” She said over her shoulder. I snorted nodding.   
  
“I really wish you were wrong about that. It’s just not fair.” I looked up as she crossed back to me, and found myself shying away as she leaned in for a kiss.   
  
“You’ll smudge your lipstick,” I excused, and she ‘hmph’d before leaning away.   
  
“Claude kisses me no matter how much lipstick I’m wearing.” I rolled her eyes at her attempt to make me jealous.   
  
“I bet he does. Your lips are very kissable.” I got off of the couch, walking over to her bar cart.   
  
“You still haven’t shown me what you’re wearing tomorrow.”  _I_ still hadn’t seen what I was wearing.   
  
“You’ll see it when you’ll see it.”   
  
“Maybe we could move Zac.” I turned back to her.   
  
“You are  _not_  moving Zac Posen just so I can sit with you.”   
  
“Why not? He wouldn’t care.”   
  
“He would and you know it. You leave the seating chart alone, missy. We’ll see each other.”

————————-

“No, I know… Baby, I know—“ I said as I tugged the collar of my jacket up to shield my neck from the wind. I heard the click of boot heels and turned to see Lou walking toward me. I held a finger up to signal her that I needed a minute before turning my attention back to the other end of the line.   
  
“Yeah, I’m  _positive_ , you shouldn’t move Zac.”  We’d played around with the idea for a couple of days in the beginning, but Debbie pointed out that having more than one of us at that table could lead to suspicions later on if something didn’t pan out.   
  
“I know… Well I know, baby, I wanna sit with you, too, but we can’t.” Lou leaned against the wall, brows raised, mouthing, ‘baby?’ I stuck my tongue out at her before quickly answering,   
  
“I gotta go, Jack’s here with my dress— No, I won’t send you pictures, I want you to be surprised… Okay. Okay… Wish you were here, too. Love you. Bye.”   
I hung up, looking down at the flashing ‘call ended’ to reassure myself that Daphne wasn’t on the line anymore.   
  
“Baby?” Lou asked aloud.   
  
“She’s stressed with the gala tomorrow. She’s been calling more, texting more—“   
  
“ _Baby_?” Lou repeated and I glared at her.   
  
“Have you got a problem with my calling her ‘baby’?”

Lou shrugged a shoulder, looking around.   
  
“No problem. Call her whatever you want,” she said, “Long as you’re alright with my giving your ‘baby’ some serious stomach problems tomorrow.”   
  
“I know it’s part of the plan,” I said, watching Lou drift toward me, “And I’ve  _known_ it’s part of the—  _Lou_ ,” I warned as she pressed me back against the wall.   
  
“We’ve got to get back inside.”   
  
“Have we?” She murmured.   
  
“They’ll come looking for us and you know it,” I said. Lou dipped her head, kissing me gently.   
  
“Not for another five minutes,” She mumbled. I raised a brow.   
  
“What did you do?” I asked.   
  
“Hid Debbie's laser pointer,” She said nonchalantly before stifling my laugh with her lips.

————————-

“Hallway, hallway, entry—“ I was standing beside Debbie as she ran through the museum plan.   
  
“Sorry! Sorry,” We all looked up as Tammy wheeled in a rack with garment bags hanging off of them. She passed them out one by one, and I thanked her as I took mine. I tugged the zipper down a little, peering at the fabric before I felt someone over my shoulder. I nudged Lou back without looking to see if it was her, muttering,   
  
“No peaking.”   
————————-  
  
“Well whatever it was, it seems like you two have worked it out.” I looked up to see Debbie approaching me to stand beside me at the museum model.   
  
“You nervous for tomorrow?” I asked, diverting the conversation.   
  
“No,” Debbie said easily, and I knew that she meant it.   
  
“Are you?” She asked. I nodded.   
  
“Yeah. Yeah, a little. I mean the last job Lou took me on, that was small, but this is… This is big.” She nodded.   
  
“Very big. But we’re ready.” I nodded a little.   
  
“I’m meeting Daphne at her hotel at ten,” I said, though I knew Debbie knew.   
  
“Rose’ll already be there.” She added, humoring me. I felt better, the plan seemed more concrete.   
————————-  
  
“I can drive you home,” Lou said. I shook my head, smiling as I grabbed my jacket.   
  
“You stay here. Besides, I’m not taking my garment bag on the motorcycle.” Lou followed me out the front door.   
  
“I’ll walk you to—“  
  
“Lou,” I said firmly. She nodded, lowering her head. I reached out, cupping her cheek and leaning up, pecking her lips.   
  
“I’ll see you tomorrow night.” She pulled me closer, winding her arms around my middle.   
  
“Be careful, love. I’ll see you on the other side.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The big night has arrived. After all of the planning, I should be less nervous than I am. And yet...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: A few curse words? 
> 
> Also! Here's the dress I imagined for this chapter: https://www.lastcall.com/Marchesa-Notte-Silk-Georgette-V-Neck-Cape-Gown-silk-georgette-v-neck-cape-gown/prod51000230___/p.prod?icid=&searchType=SEARCH&rte=%252Fsearch.jsp%253FN%253D0%2526Ntt%253Dsilk%252520georgette%252520v-neck%252520cape%252520gown&eItemId=prod51000230&cmCat=search

 

“Aren’t you excited?”   
  
“I’m hungover,” I countered, wincing as Daphne’s makeup artist pulled my sunglasses off of my face.   
  
“I thought you’d be back into the swing of things by now,” Daphne said, frowning.

“You used to do this all the time.”

“I’m not 26 anymore, Daph.”

“No. You’re 27.”

“Listen, my liver had a whole year off, okay? I’m out of practice.” I heard Daphne whine as I pulled a muffin out of the bag I’d brought my coffee in.

“You want a bite?” I asked, looking over at her. She sighed, put-upon, and shook her head.

“I need to fit into my dress.”

“A bite of a muffin isn’t going to go directly to your hips the second you swallow, Daph.” She cut me a look, and I and I shut my mouth, knowing that the argument wasn’t worth it.

————————-

“Ah! There you are, finally.” I sat up as Rose came out of Daphne’s room, with Daphne turning to gesture toward me.   
“Oh, Rose, this is of course—“

“Oh, I know who she is,” Rose said, waving off the introduction. I widened my eyes at her a bit, and she hurried to correct herself:

“I-I mean she’s been in the paper with you so often, I just— I know the face! Very recognizable face,” she had taken hold of my hand by then and was pumping my hand excitedly.

“It’s so very nice to meet you! For the first time, and all.” I plastered a smile on my face, clasping her hand with both of mine to halt the shaking.

“Nice to meet you, too, Ms. Weil.” As Rose turned to hang the garment bag up, Daphne turned to me, moving her fingers in small circles by her head and mouthing, ‘ _Crazy_ ’.

————————-

The Touissant was even more breathtaking in person. I watched as the necklace was lowered to Daphne’s neck, taking in a sharp breath when she did.

“Christ,” I mumbled.

“Alright, let’s get this thing off of you—“

“Sorry, you cannot do that, I have to do that, it requires a special magnet,” One of the guards stepped forward, and Rose and I caught one another’s eyes. Clearly my expression was horrified enough for the both of us.

“That’s brilliant… Brilliant! Amazing— um. Can I um… Can I just see that _again_ out of… _Interest._ ” Rose jumped in this time, folding her hands over her phone. My eyes watched the magnet mechanism before I let them drift to Daphne’s reflection.

To my surprise, her eyes were on Rose.

————————-

“Lou?” I murmured.   
  
“I’m here,” I smiled at her voice in my ear before I fixed my hair carefully back over my ear.   
  
“Did Debbie give her 'rallying of the troops' speech?”   
  
“She did, it was rather good. Sorry you missed it.” I shook my head, though I knew she couldn’t see  
me.  
“So, what are you wearing?” Lou added.   
  
“We are not doing this right now, you little perv,” I muttered. I lowered my hand as I heard the click of approaching heels.

“That’s one of Jack’s?” Daphne asked as she stepped into the room, and I could hear the disdain laced through her tone, and I turned, smiling at her.

“One of his old ones. I just grabbed it out of one of his earlier collections. He swears he doesn’t remember making it,” I laughed, smoothing my hands over royal blue crepe silk.

In truth, I’d let Tammy pick it out for me— told her I wasn’t picky, but that I preferred jewel tones. In my opinion, she’d chosen perfectly. The floor-length gown had a deep v, and a band that sinched in around my waist. The back flowed into a short cape, one that had just enough movement to be deemed appropriate for the evening. It was nothing compared to Daphne’s anyway.

She shrugged a shoulder, moving farther into the room to admire her reflection and the Touissant.

“What do you think?” She asked, turning back to me and smiling demurely. My eyes traveled over her.

“The only neck indeed,” I said.

————————-

“It’s gonna be litty.”

Jack had been tipsy when he picked me up, and the champagne in the limo coupled with his slight motion sickness wasn’t going to help anything. I had a feeling Daphne wouldn’t be the only one getting sick later.

He’d said the word ‘litty’ eight times in the last hour, and I was too scared to ask what it meant. I leaned back in my seat, sipping from my champagne flute. Jack’s hand landed on my thigh, and I looked up at him. He’d switched to a somber stare, and I could feel a speech coming on.

“You do know that everything I said about Lou—“

“Jack, we don’t need to talk about her. And you were just trying to protect me.” He nodded, reaching up and patting the air beside my face. I frowned.

“What are you—“

“You’re wearing like four pounds of makeup, honey, I’m not touching that.”

————————-  
  
The steps were overwhelming. Everywhere I looked, there were flashing cameras, reporters, celebrities. Jack was all easy smiles, his arm wrapped around my waist as he steered me this way and that. Now and again he’d pinch my hip and I’d plaster a smile onto my face.

Daphne and Rose were almost always within my field of vision, and when they weren’t, I found myself twisting to find them. Daphne wasn’t concerned with me, but I couldn’t really blame her; she had so much more going on. Now and again Rose would catch my eye and we’d quickly look away again.   
It only took two more glasses of champagne once we were inside for me to calm down a bit, even start to relax. I saw Tammy, but I didn’t say a thing. And _Debbie_. It was like she was at the corner of my eyes at all time, like that first night at the bar. I could ignore her this time for the most part. I actually started to have _fun_.   
Until I saw Daphne running away from her table.

I got up, excusing myself from Jack (who barely noticed). I turned the opposite direction of the direction, heading for the exhibit. I could hear Daphne’s guards running after her, and I turned down the halls, smiling politely at the people passing by me, grabbing a glass of champagne off of a waiter’s tray as I passed them. I stepped into the exhibit and looked around, walking down the walkway and eyeing the jewels.   
I heard the rattle of wheels from around the corner and turned to see Lou coming into the room with a cart.   
  
“Where’s Debbie?”   
  
“Pretending to be German,” Lou said. I snorted, setting the glass down and on her cart. She pulled the door back, and I watched as Yen pulled himself out.   
  
“How long’ve we got?” I asked, taking the slefie stick and moving over to the camera.   
  
“Twelve minutes,” Lou said, “Ten if they get antsy.”   
  
We were watching Yen take the pieces and replace them, and I was so focused that I nearly jumped at the sound of a guard’s voice:  _“Ma’am, you can’t be here.”_   
  
But there was Debbie’s voice right after, arguing with what now sounded like three other people. I could feel my hands shaking with adrenaline as we packed the pieces into the cart, along with Yen.   
  
“Did she just say her husband put his shoes in the freezer?” I whispered. Lou waved me off, creeping over to the entryway before taking hold of the cart, the two of us steering it out of the exhibit.   
  
“I have to go back,” I said, letting go of the cart.   
  
"I know," Lou said, looking down the hall.  
  
“Be careful,” I added. Lou snorted, smiling and shooting me a wink before she pushed the cart away. I watched her go for as long as I dared before I stepped into a restroom to wait until I could carefully rejoin the trickle of guests re-entering the dining hall.

————————-  
  
“Where did you go?” Daphne asked. She looked miserable. Pale from being sick, and tired, and _pissed_. I crouched in front of her, cupping her cheek.   
  
“Oh, honey, what happened to you?” I asked.   
  
“I got _sick_ , and I lost my fucking _necklace_ —“  
  
“Oh— okay, calm down,” I said lightly. She scoffed, leaning out of my hands.   
  
“Where _were_ you?” She asked again. I shook my head.   
  
“I was in the bathroom, and then with everyone on the stairs.”   
  
“Jack said he didn’t see you.”   
  
“There were a ton of us all crammed together, Daph.”   
  
“He says he didn’t make that dress, either.”   
  
“He’s drunk, and so are you, a little. You need water, you need some air, and you need to calm down.” My voice was just on the wrong side of firm, and I could feel it. I straightened up.   
  
“Do you want me to find Claude for you?”  
  
“No.” I nodded.   
  
“Do you want me to leave?” She gave me a long book, considering it before finally saying,   
  
“I want water.”   
  
“I’ll get you some.”

————————-  
  
“Are you coming with us?” It was Lou’s voice in my earpiece. Drinks at Lou’s, a small celebration for a job well-done. I pulled my phone out of my purse, pretending to dial before putting it to my ear so I wouldn’t look like a maniac.   
  
“No, not tonight.”   
  
“Why not?”   
  
“I can’t, I feel like I’m about to crash.”   
  
“Then crash with me.” I rolled my eyes a little.   
  
“You’re incredibly irritating.”  
  
“And you’re a slut for cuddling. I feel that this could be mutually beneficial.”   
  
“You did not just call me that.”   
  
“Was I wrong?”   
  
“You’re coming to mine, not the other way around.”   
  
“So demanding.”   
  
I put the phone away, taking the glass of water that had been set down before I walked back to Daphne.

————————-

“You’re late.” I sighed at the sight of Lou sitting in front of my apartment door.   
  
“Daphne wanted company and I couldn’t get away to message you,” I said, watching as she stood. I stared at her unabashedly, eyeing the deep-v of the jumpsuit she was wearing.   
  
“Remind me to get Tammy something nice with my cut,” I added, drifting closer. She smiled.   
  
“The zipper’s a bitch, though. I could use a little help getting out of it.”  
  
————————-

Lou fell asleep before I did. I ran my fingers through her hair, listening to her light snores (which she swore up and down she didn't make) and replaying the day in my head, from Daphne's suspicious eyeing of Rose's phone to her questioning of where I'd been when everything was going on. I didn't get a wink of sleep that night, and Lou woke up to me staring uneasily at the ceiling.   
  
"What is it?" She murmured, voice sleep-roughened and lazy. 

"We've gotta bring her in," I said, looking down at Lou.   
  
"Bring who in?" She asked, leaning down to press a kiss to my shoulder. I felt her go stalk-still when I said,

"Daphne." 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some mornings go from sweet to bittersweet; some days go from bittersweet to just bitter.

 “I just would really like to hear your reasoning behind that statement before I decide that you’ve gone completely insane.” Lou was awake now, no question about that, and staring at me as though I’d just told her Debbie and I were getting married.

“Look, I know she may seem like some airhead actress to you guys, but Daphne is smart. She already suspects Rose.”

“She told you that?”

“She didn’t have to, I saw how she was watching her when Rose took the video of that magnet thing.” Lou sat up, the sheets pooling around her waist. She folded her legs, elbow resting on her knee. I could practically hear her weighing the variables. I pushed myself up beside her.

“Listen,” I said gently, “She was the one wearing the necklace. She was the one the supposedly lost the necklace. They’ll bring her in for questioning, and when they do, we need her on our side.” Lou turned to look at me for a moment, and I could see the conflict in her gaze.

“Debbie needs to okay this.”

“I know she does. I’ll talk to her.”

“I can tell her—“

“No. I’m a big girl, I can explain it to her myself.” She smiled a bit, swaying forward and kissing me.

“Go call her,” She urged, “I’m sure they’ve discovered that the Touissant is a fake by now.”

————————-

“Um.” Was Daphne’s very intelligent response to opening the door of her apartment and finding the three of us there. Debbie was inspecting the books in her shelf, Lou was sitting on the couch, and I was standing beside the window, keeping an eye out. I looked over at her, smiling.

“Can we talk?”

————————-

“I knew there was something up with you. You’ve got shifty eyes,” Daphne said matter-of-factly as she looked at Debbie, who raised a brow.

“Shifty eyes?”

“Are you in or not?” I could hear Lou’s irritation, see it in the set of her shoulders. I reached out, setting my hand on the back of her neck, and her shoulders sagged a bit. Daphne glanced between the two of us.

“What’s in it for me?”

“An obscene amount of money and some people to hang out with that aren’t me or Jack,” I pointed out. Daphne pursed her lips, and I could see her considering it.

“You and Jack are pretty shitty company,” She finally said. I smiled wide, turning to look at Lou, who was still frowning.

“That means she’s in,” I translated, looking between Debbie and Lou. Debbie sat down across from Daphne.

“We need to talk over what you’re going to tell Frazier.”

————————-

“You two seem close,” Daphne commented. We were side by side in her kitchen. I got mugs down for the four of us as she worked her ridiculously expensive and stupidly complicated coffee machine. I glanced back into the living room at where Lou and Debbie were speaking to one another in low tones. I shrugged.

“We’re friends.”

“Friends like we’re friends?” Daphne asked. I glanced over and smiled when I saw the wicked glint in her eye.

“Don’t even think about it, Kluger.”

“Why? Is she the jealous type?” She asked. Before I could answer, she lowered her head, skimming her lips over my neck. Someone cleared their throat behind us, and we turned to see Lou standing in the doorway, arms folded over her chest.

“That’s a yes,” Daphne straightened. She stepped past Lou, and I shook my head, watching her go. Lou was still giving me that look, and I rolled my eyes.

“She was just messing around,” I said, turning away from Lou.

“She doesn’t need to mess around like that,” Lou commented. I pulled the coffee pot back from the maker, pouring some for each of us.

“I still want to talk,” She spoke up. I frowned, glancing back at her.

“About what?”

“About that night, just before the gala. When you said it was good that we’d gotten things out of our systems.” I looked back into the mugs.

“Can you grab two of these? I can only hold so much,” I requested, replacing the coffee pot. She crossed the kitchen in a few strides, arms bracketing my sides and trapping me against the counter.

“Why do you keep pushing this away? Pushing me away?” She asked.

“Talking about our problems has never solved them before, Lou. I don’t see why it would suddenly work now,” I bit out.

“You used to talk all the time, but I wasn’t listening,” Lou admitted. She put her hand on my hip and urging me to turn. I did reluctantly, peering up at her.

“And you weren’t talking _to_ me, you were talking _at_ me.” My face soured.

“How would you know that if you weren’t listening to it?”

“Well I tried not to listen but some of it still seeped through.”

 “You can be a real bitch, you know that?”

“What the fuck does that make you, then?” She snapped.

“Oh-kay.” We turned to see Debbie standing in the doorway.

“As amusing as I may’ve found this once, I really need that coffee, and we have to finish planning this out. Could you two hold it together for, I don’t know, an hour? Daphne got a call to come in for an interview, so this is seriously crunch time.”

I picked up two mugs, nudging past Lou and going into the living room. I set a mug down in front of Daphne, who was peering around me into the kitchen.

"Did I do that?” She asked, eyes a little wide. I shook my head.

“I did that,” I reassured.

“Got your story straight?” She smiled, tipping her head to the side.

“You know I don’t do things straight, sweetheart.” I laughed, pushing down my hurt in favor of sipping my coffee.

The last few days with Lou had been so sweet that I’d almost forgotten that— how quickly a spark of an argument could become a wildfire.

————————-

I could feel the both of them watching me across the room. It was the night at the bar all over again, but somehow worse. I was tense for entirely different reasons. Now and again someone’s (usually Lou’s) voice would begin to rise, and it would be overtaken by Debbie’s before both would quickly lower again. Every time I glanced over, though, they were sifting through Lou’s record collection, like there was nothing going on. 

“You guys are _fucked_.” The shock in the room was palpable as Daphne strode in. 

"Excuse me, you are trespassing—“ Tammy said from where she’d risen off of the couch.

“Of course that’s your first reaction, Tams,” I laughed.

“No,” Lou added, looking around. “We asked her to come.”

Daphne settled in beside me, looking around, and I leaned back as Daphne revealed what she knew. Debbie nodded.

“Yeah. Yeah. And I figured eight shares of 150 million is better than seven shares of nothing,” Debbie said, looking around. There was silence from the team, and I snorted, unable to help it.

“Guys, come on,” I said, looking around.   
  
“Chilly. 'Hi Daph, welcome to the team, let’s not all high five at once',” Daphne added, sarcasm dripping from her tone  

————————-

“Did you know about this?”

I looked back at Tammy as I pulled my jacket on.

“About what? Daph? Or the insurance investigator? I knew about Daphne.”

“She’s why Daphne is in,” Lou said, coming up behind Tammy. I looked away, lowering my eyes to zip my jacket.

“The money is why Daphne is in. And the company.”

Tammy shook her head as she drifted away, muttering, “I can’t understand anyone getting into a life of crime to make friends.”

I zipped my jacket up, glancing over at Lou to find her still lingering nearby. She wasn’t looking at me, just hovering.

“I’m gonna—“

I shut up as she turned her head to look at me before I smartly jerked my thumb over my shoulder toward the door. She nodded.

“Be careful.”

“Yeah, you too.”

Neither of us moved for a few seconds before I turned away, careful not to slam the door behind myself.

It had only taken a heated moment to get us right back to square one, and as I walked down the road away from Lou’s, I found myself shaken by the thought that the two of us might never find peace.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A life lived in fear is a life half lived.

“Excuse me, miss? You dropped this.” I turned back on instinct, and froze when I saw a smiling insurance agent. 

“Made you look. Hi, John Frazier,” he held his hand out. I shook his head. 

“I’m assuming you know who I am?” I asked. He nodded. 

“You’ve been in the papers here and there. Mind if I ask you a few questions?”

“Ask away, but I may or may not have answers."

“I appreciate the honesty,” John said easily, adding, “Please,” and gesturing forward. I began to walk the way I’d been going, with him at my side. 

“You are a friend of Daphne Kluger’s, correct?”

“Yes.”

“And you were at the MET gala last week?” 

“I was.”

“Where were you when she lost her dinner?”

“You mean where was I when she lost her necklace?” He smiled, nodded and I replied,

“I was in the bathroom.”

“The same bathroom she threw up in?” 

“A different one. The MET would be screwed if they only had one bathroom.”

“Which did you go to?”

“The one near the Egyptian wing,” I lied easily, knowing that I crossed through it to reach the exhibit and help Lou. 

Frazier nodded, and he seemed to be checking a box off in his mind. 

“Do you know Debbie Ocean?” I frowned, furrowed my brow, mouthed the name. 

“Ocean? That name sounds familiar. Do you mean Danny?”

“No, no. I mean Debbie. Danny Ocean is dead.”

“Condolences.”

“We weren’t close.”

“It felt appropriate.” John’s hand reached out, gripping my sleeve to stop me. I turned to him, and was almost taken aback by the sincerity on his face. 

“I’ve looked at your record. It’s clean. Debbie Ocean has a wrap sheet a mile long. Lou Miller? Nearly as long as her friend’s.”

“I don’t know what you’re—“

“Tread carefully. And if you decide that you do know them,” he reached into his pocket, pulling out a business card and pressing it into my hand. 

“Let me know.” 

—————-

“First of all, glad you told me,” Debbie said, passing me a mug of tea. I took it, watching as she sat on the couch opposite the arm chair I’d settled in.   
  
“Second of all, I’m sorting him out tonight.”  
  
“You’re sure that’s a good idea?”  
  
“It’ll get him off of our tails and onto Claude’s. I’ve got it all worked out.” I nodded, taking a sip of the tea.   
  
“Third of all—“   
  
“There’s a third of all?” Debbie shot me a look and I quieted, leaning back in my seat.   
  
“I want to talk to you about a job. Something that came through one of my contacts. I can’t take it, but I think you’d be perfect for it.” I blinked owlishly at her, stunned.    
  
“You’re offering me a job. Who turned it down?”   
  
“I haven’t offered it to anybody else.”   
  
“You were livid when you found out I went with Lou.”   
  
“That was then.” She stood.  
  
“I’ll give you more details later if you’re interested. You’re still jumpy, so hang out here for a bit. Don’t worry— Lou’s out for the night.”  

I felt my shoulders relax at that, despite my mutter of,  
“Not worried.” 

 

—————

 

I was so, so cozy. And warm. I sighed, content, and rolled onto my side, a hand reaching out. It landed on the mattress, passing through where I’d thought someone might be. My eyes opened slowly, and I looked around. Then down. I was wearing one of Lou’s old t-shirts, and my underwear. I heard the floorboards creek and I looked up. 

She seemed surprised to find me awake, but it only made her hesitate in her steps for a second before she came farther into the room, sitting on the edge of the bed and holding it a mug of coffee. I pushed myself up, sitting against the headboard and taking the mug with a mumbled, “Thanks.” 

We sat in silence for a moment.

“You painted,” I commented. She nodded. 

“New drapes, too.”

“Hey where’s that—“

“The clock? Gone.”

I took a sip of my coffee. 

“How’d I get up here?”

“Took some persuading, but I got you to move. You fell asleep in the arm chair and I didn’t want you to fuck up your neck.” I smiled a little. 

“Thank you.” Lou wordlessly took my mug in lieu of an answer, taking a sip from it before wrinkling her nose.   
  
“Never did understood why you drank it black.”   
  
“Never did understand why you’d always insist on drinking from my mug instead of just getting your own,” I retorted, taking the mug back from Lou. She smiled. I looked down I tot he dark liquid before I looked back up at her. 

“Talk,” I said quietly. She raised her brows. 

“About what?”

“You know what.” 

“You don’t trust me.”

“Is that a question?”

“No, I’m telling you. You don’t trust me.”

I was taken aback.

“What makes you say that?”

“When we were together— when we were dating, you were always so resentful of Debbie.”

“And that’s where you—“

“Please let me finish.” I closed my mouth, properly chastised. She told a deep breath. 

“You acted... you acted like Debbie was the only person in my life. The only one I cared about. And she is important to me, but she’s not the only one. If you had given me the chance, I would’ve fought for us.” It felt like someone had twisted a knife in my gut. 

“I did give you a chance. I have you given you a hundred chances, Lou, and you let me down every time.” Lou took the mug from my hand, setting it on the bedside table before taking hold of my hands in hers. 

“This is different. We’re different. No— listen, please,” She implored, tightening the grip on my hands as I tried to tug them back. I hated feeling tears prickling in my eyes; she had already seen me cry enough for a lifetime. 

“This life, this job. You can’t have one foot in and one foot out. But you’re  _in_  now.” Her eyes searched my face. 

“I know Debbie offered you another gig,” she said. I pursued my lips, trying to swallow past the lump in my throat as she went on,

“And I know that as much as it can scare you, you like this. I saw it in your eyes years ago, on that first job.”

“It wasn’t just the job,” I admitted, “I felt like I finally understood was it was like to be part of your world. It was you.”

Lou leaned forward, resting her forehead against mine, one of her hands coming up to brush away a tear that had escaped me. I broke as she murmured,

 

“Then let it be us.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys I only have one chapter planned after this WOW


End file.
